אַחֲרֵי מוֹת-קְדוֹשִׁים אֱמוֹר

ביטוי (אנגלית)

Of the dead say nothing but good / Speak no evil of the dead / De mortuis nil nisi bonum (Latin)

הגדרה (אנגלית)

After a person dies, one should speak only of their goodness and tell only good things about them. Figuratively, it means one must not speak ill of the deceased who can no longer defend their name. The expression is derived from the sequence of Torah portions in Leviticus—Acharei Mot, Kedoshim, and Emor—which appear one after another.

("And after death—they shall be holy" – Machberot Immanuel 20. Also: “One must be careful not to speak of the faults of those who dwell in the dust… and I have seen foolish people who, before speaking wrongly of the dead, say ‘Acharei Mot Kedoshim Emor,’ and then immediately do the opposite and slander them. What benefit did the sages gain by their advice?” – Pele Yoetz, entry S – Sanigoria)